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I interrupted a hawk in my run this morning after it killed one of my 6 wk old chicks. No real injuries observable on the chick unless you really dug under the feathers, possibly broke it's neck first. Could have been anything that killed it then got chased off/ran off.

I use an automatic door. I had to install a strip of plastic to create a slot for the bottom of the door to set in to prevent raccoon hands from getting under it. My coop is within my run, so I also ran electric fence 6" and 12" around the bottom of the run. No issues in over a year since...

Thanks for the advice, appreciate it.

As an update, today is day 22. There were no chicks this morning, but there was one chick this evening when I got home. I tried my hand at candling with the remaining eggs, but I don't think they are viable for whatever reason. I only had 4 fertilized eggs to start with, and it's her first...

Thanks for all of your advice. She is definitely a committed broody hen, she's been nesting for 3 weeks easily. When I say "off the nest" it's because she inadvertently hopped onto some eggs in a different nest box. I don't understand how, but she now has 10 eggs underneath her (I only put 4...

I left town for a few days, and when I got back, by broody hen had started brooding in a different nesting box with other non-fertile eggs. Her eggs were left with no heat for a couple days (I'm in Texas but it's been getting into the low 40s at night. They were left alone from about 14 to 17...

The neighbor I got the fertilized eggs from has two barred rock roosters that looked massive to me, ,very protective. Her run is just a chain link fence area and she has no issues with predators (she also has a newfie for her goats and probably 8-9 guinea fowl). I will try again, this time...

Apologies for not having my profile all filled out. I'm in Central Texas. This is just a story, no point, just getting it out there. A few years ago I bought my house in the country, it came with a big sand box, 20x20, with heavy lattice on thee sides at least 10 ft tall, with sort of a...

Update. Found the snake in the coop this morning, dispatched it and got my ceramic egg back. Went to put the egg back and realized the other fake egg is now missing. Not sure if the snake regurgitated it somewhere, then came back for the other egg, or if it was a second snake this morning.

I started a flock this year, and dropped a couple ceramic eggs in the boxes a while back to encourage laying. I've been getting eggs for about 3 weeks now. Today I send my son out to pick up eggs and he runs in and tells me there's a snake in the coop and one of the fake eggs is missing. Yep...

I have the Happy Hen House automatic door, which is similar, sheet metal that slides in rails. I thought it was secure, but I'm certain a raccoon opened it last night and snatched a chicken. I verified they were all in the coop last night, and this morning I've lost one and there's feathers...